Who We are

Kaden is a junior studying biomedical engineering and computer science. As a Pratt Research Fellow, he studies the dynamics of protein-unfolding events in the Marszalek Research lab. Over the summer, Kaden will be continuing his research in the Marszalek lab, assisting with the ODE Engineering Design camp for high school students, and studying for the MCAT. Kaden’s biggest goal for the ReMed program is to develop a greater sense of purpose within the medical field, as well as develop a new appreciation for aspects of medicine he had not really previously considered.

Millie Caughey is a freshman from Auckland, New Zealand. She enjoys debating, writing and roller skating. She is excited to learn more about how people’s backgrounds shape their ideas of ethics.

Maya Chandar is currently a rising sophomore double majoring in Neuroscience and Computer Science. She was born and raised in Florida, and has a strong interest developing applications for machine learning in healthcare. Through ReMed, she hopes to learn about the humanistic side of medicine, and gain a more nuanced knowledge of medical humanities.

Rodrigo De La Vega is from Guatemala City, Guatemala. He is a Duke Kunshan student majoring in biology interested in pursuing a career as a researcher. Outside of school, he enjoys hiking with friends and playing sports like basketball and volleyball.

Sriya is a rising senior from Davidson, NC, majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Chemistry and Music. She is deeply interested in the intersection of healthcare and the arts, and believes in the power of combining scientific knowledge with creative expression to promote well-being. By engaging in research on global mental health this summer, Sriya aims to work towards creating lasting worldwide change. Sriya looks forward to learning and further exploring the intersection between medicine and the humanities this summer.

Dagny Edison is a junior double majoring in Political Science and Classical Civilizations from Charlotte, North Carolina. She enjoys reading about ethics and philosophy and is excited to engage with the Duke community on ethical issues. Dagny is a member of Phi Alpha Delta, Duke’s Pre-Law fraternity, and works as an SAT and ACT tutor. Outside of school, she loves playing disc golf, painting, discovering new music, and going to local concerts.

Meera Gangasani is a senior from Dallas, TX majoring in biology and minoring in creative writing and chemistry. She is interested in the complex care side of medicine and caring for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As an intern for the Autism Society of North Carolina and student researcher for the NC-PAL project, her goals this summer are to learn how to be a more empathetic in her approach towards caring for patients with complex care needs and examine key issues regarding healthcare disparities for people with disabilities. In her free time, she loves group fitness, stand-up comedy, staying updated on current events, and attempting to dance.

Debosir Ghosh is a student in Duke’s Class of 2024 and is currently pursuing a major in Neuroscience with minors in Statistics and Music. He enjoys working with others and looks forward to being on Duke’s Team Kenan to bring awareness to topics and conversations on how we can continue to make Duke a better place for students. Aside from his studies and musical pursuits, Debosir also enjoys plane-spotting and studying aviation.

Sonia Green is a freshman from Durham, North Carolina who is interested in having ethical conversations with peers on campus. She enjoys hearing what others have to say and finding unique ways to connect to the person behind the opinion.

Morgan Hough is a rising senior from California majoring in Chemistry and Spanish. Working as the VP of Tutee Programming with GANO, a student-run volunteer program at Duke University, she helps facilitate free English as a second language tutoring to Hispanic adults in Durham, NC. Her dream is to become a Spanish-speaking doctor so she can bridge the language barrier between medicine and her Hispanic community. She hopes that engaging with medical humanities, arts, ethics, and history through ReMed will allow her to further her interest in how doctors can create more integrative and multi-faceted approaches to healthcare treatment.

Hi, my name is Skylar Hughes, and I’m a part of the class of 2025! Atlanta, Georgia, is where I call home, and from my slang to my walk, it’s quite obvious where I grew up. I’m the person who will talk to everyone and is not at all afraid to speak her mind. I am majoring in psychology with a certificate in policy journalism and media studies! I am fascinated with the world of misinformation, and this summer I want to examine how the rise in digital misinformation during the 21st century alters our ability to lead ethical lives.

Jill Jacobs is a sophomore from Frankfort, Kentucky who plans to double major in Political Science and Philosophy. As an alumna of the Envisioning Human Rights FOCUS cluster, Jill is also working to earn a Human Rights Certificate. After graduating, she hopes to attend law school. At Duke, Jill serves on the Human Rights Student Advisory Board and is a member of Duke-UNICEF. In her free time, she enjoys watching bad movies and, of course, talking about ethics.

Madiha Khan is a  Biology and Global health double major from Kolkata, India. She aspires to advocate for accessible and affordable public health care and help contribute to research into developing medical technologies that can cure diseases. Through the ReImagining Medicine Summer Fellowship, she wants to gain experience to better serve vulnerable communities globally as a UN emergency physician and public health advocate.

Laila Khan-Farooqi, a rising sophomore from Aspen, Colorado, is pursuing a major in biology and a minor in classical civilization. She has a passion for the health humanities and seeks to explore the interconnectedness of identity and medicine through lenses of gender, ethics, and culture. She hopes to learn more about how ethical practices govern our current medical system and where we can improve our implementation of these ideas in the clinic, the operating room, and beyond. Laila enjoys being outside, cooking, spending time with friends and family, and skiing.

Minjee Kim is a first-year from Seoul, South Korea majoring in Public Policy. She became involved with Kenan through their FOCUS program and the Team Kenan Fellowship. At Duke, she is also involved in Mock Trial and the Korean Undergraduate Students Association. When she’s not working or studying, you can find her listening to podcasts, crocheting bags, or rewatching The Good Place.

Gianni Lacey-Howard is fourth-year undergraduate student from Durham, NC. She is studying Sociology with a minor in Chemistry on the pre-med track. After graduation, she intends to work in sociological community-based research before pursuing an MD.  Ultimately, she aspires to work in the field of clinical academic and community medicine. She plans to use her experience and knowledge as a physician to implement cultural health and wellness initiatives in her tribal community and Indigenous communities throughout North Carolina.

Alex LaTrenta is a junior from Connecticut with a major in Biology, minor in History, and certificate in the Decision Sciences. As an aspiring physician-scientist and MD-PhD in immunology, oncology, or infectious disease, she is passionate about translational research, scientific communication, and helping people through science. When she is not in the classroom or the lab, she enjoys dancing in two dance groups on campus, giving tours to prospective students, and volunteering to teach STEM subjects to 4th to 6th graders in FEMMES+. She also enjoys rock-climbing and listening to rock music. She is looking forward to combining her love for medicine, history, dance, bioethics, and writing in this fellowship to learn how to become a well-rounded physician focused on patient care.

Matthew Lee is a rising junior studying BME/ECE on the premed track. He was born in South Korea and currently lives in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He is excited to gain exposure in medical humanities through ReMed because he feels that he doesn’t get to engage with humanities that much altogether as an engineer. He will be in Madison, Wisconsin over the summer.

Christina Lewis is a rising senior from Charleston, SC, majoring in Religious Studies and minoring in Biology and Chemistry. At Duke, she is involved in researching trauma-informed education. In her free time, she loves to write, paint, and spend time outdoors. This summer, she will be working as a nurse aide. She hopes to eventually have a career as a psychiatric or women’s health clinician.

Luxuan Li is a senior majoring in psychology and minoring in neuroscience. She is currently researching chronic pain and itch under the department of neurology. She is passionate about the intersection between health policy, health communication and inequalities. She loves dancing and hiking, and strives to pet as many puppies as possible.

Will Lieber is a sophomore Linguistics student interested in pursuing a prison studies certificate. He is interested in carceral healthcare, rural healthcare, and health literacy within his broader interests in studying language. During ReMed, he hopes to continue to use his humanities background to enrich his understanding of medicine. He is also very excited to shadow medical interpreters.

Mauro Mastrapasqua is a first-year student and is excited to be a part Team Kenan. He is from Nashville and is planning to major in physics at Duke. Outside of classes, he plays piano in the jazz ensemble and is also involved with Project Wild. In his free time, he likes to go for runs around East Campus and jam with friends.

Chioma Danielle Okotcha is a rising Sophomore currently planning on majoring in Neuroscience and Music and pursuing a minor in computer science. She has spent equal thirds of her life in the U.K., Washington, and Maryland. Some of her non-academic interests include playing the sax and piano, crocheting, and various forms of writing. She is most excited to delve deeper into the various behind the scenes components that make up healthcare. This summer she plans to work as a direct support professional, OBGYN intern, and hospital volunteer (and perhaps get her CNA/EMT license!).

Anika is a rising senior from Milwaukee, WI studying a Program II major titled "Reimagining the Aging, Dying, and End-of-Life Care Experience." She plans to pursue an osteopathic medical degree in geriatrics or palliative/hospice care after graduating from Duke, with the hopes of creating a more positive aging and dying journey for all. This summer, Anika will be interning with Capri Communities, an assisted living conglomerate, with concentrations in life enrichment and active aging. Outside of school, you can find Anika in the mosh pit at a rock and roll concert, lifting weights in the gym, spending time with friends and family, or discovering a new restaurant!

Blake Perdikis is an English major who is pursuing a certificate in ethics while on the pre-health track. During his time at Duke, he has loved exploring the intersection between these three fields and learning about how the humanities informs medicine and vice versa. For this summer, he cannot wait to engage with the powerful, cross-sectional experiences offered by ReMed—shadowing, talks, etc.—and hopefully dispatch the skills he learns towards a project investigating the standard of care in emergency medicine in rural Tennessee.

Gabriel Reis is a freshman from Brasilia, Brazil, planning on majoring in Public Policy and Cultural Anthropology. He is passionate about bringing people together through debate and has previously worked to advance that in his country with Models United Nations. He intends to continue to do so at Duke with Team Kenan, the Duke International Relations Association, and the Alexander Hamilton Society. In his free time, Gabriel enjoys watching Oscar-nominated movies and trying to predict the winners of the next ceremony.

Sabrina Sebastian-San Miguel is a rising senior Cultural Anthropology major from Warrenton, VA, who enjoys reading, sunny walks around campus, and trying new coffee spots. This summer, she is working on her senior thesis research at the intersection of chronic illness & disability narratives, visual media, technology, and medicine, and aspires to become an endocrinologist.

Sophia is a rising senior from Atlanta, GA who is pursuing a degree in Neuroscience (BS) with minors in chemistry and psychology. Her current research interests focus on raising transparency on the health disparities among incarcerated populations to promote justice and equity within the criminal legal system. Through ReMed, she is excited to learn more about how alternative medicine can uphold the ethical responsibilities of healthcare, especially in its relation to improving the health outcomes of the socially disadvantaged. Following the immersive week, Sophia will be working as an EMT to serve her community and gain direct experience in patient care.

Amitesh Verma is a rising junior from Cincinnati, OH studying Neuroscience and Music with the aspirations of becoming a physician. He is passionate about the intersection of music and healthcare with his previous involvements including the Language, Music, and Dementia Bass Connections Team where he studies the effect of musical training and multilingualism on dementia and cognitive impairment. Through ReMed, he hopes to further cultivate these interests through assisting with creative care sessions for adults with dementia through the Durham Center for Senior Life. In his free time, Amitesh enjoys playing jazz piano, watching and reviewing movies, and playing ping pong

Sophie Wu is a 3rd year student at Duke University originally from Seattle, WA. She is studying biomedical engineering and computer science on the pre-health track with a minor in chemistry. This summer, she will be in Germany conducting machine learning research into protein design as a DAAD-RISE Intern. She hopes to travel across Europe when she can! Additionally, in her free time, she likes to read and listen to music. She is incredibly excited to meet new people and gain a new perspective of healthcare through the ReMed program this summer.

I am a rising junior from Placentia, California, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Medical Sociology. In my free time, I enjoy playing soccer, and, when I’m home, relaxing by the beach. This summer, I will be interning at Los Angeles Christian Health Centers (LACHC), a federally qualified health center in LA County. I will be working on quality improvement, referral follow-ups, and with their Street Medicine team, which brings medical care to patients living on the street. Through my time at LACHC, I hope to better understand how we can sustainably and ethically provide reliable, effective care to communities experiencing housing instability.

Julia Young is a native of Durham and is in her freshman year at Duke. She’s hoping to explore a major in International Comparative Studies or Political Science with a concentration in Security, Peace, and Conflict. Her favorite ethical topics to explore are those related to religion and fate. Fun Fact: Julia’s common app essay topic was about the branching tree multiverse theory and its impact on her moral compass.

Courtney Yribarren is a sophomore at Duke University who is studying topics like global development, ethics, and institutional justice through Duke’s Program II major. Growing up on a family farm in rural California and having run a district-wide campaign for better education, Courtney quickly began to care about how our institutions care for us – or don’t. With the Kenan Summer Fellowship, she's investigating how the Ethics of Care are present in the individual and the organization, and how the ethics of care may be a sustainable framework for preventing burnout in this era. She cares deeply about care ethics, tap dancing, her loved ones, quality tea, and novels that warm the heart. Courtney hopes she can leave this world more caring than she found it.